Farmer Jones has raised chickens for many years and he is always happy to talk about the flock. I have learned a lot about chickens and good eggs from him and I would like to share it with you. The hens are kept in a small barn/shed building with a little chicken door that leads to a fenced in pen. The hens are free to go in and out whenever they please. The hens are fed only a pure chicken feed with no hormones, antibiotics, etc. They also eat vegetables and scraps from the Jones' garden. They LOVE swiss chard but surprisingly, don't like apples (unfortunately, because there is a huge apple tree close their pen).
Last week, Farmer Jones explained to me that now he leaves the lights on for the chickens until about 7:30pm. Some industrial chicken farms leave the lights on up to 23 hours a day. As long as the lights are on, chickens will keep eating and keep laying eggs. These chickens burn out much quicker and are undoubtedly stressed due to lack of rest. I believe that his hens are well-rested and happy. They really do lay beautiful, delicious eggs. Apparently, his hens will only lay an egg when they are at the perch. In over-crowded chicken barns, hens have no choice but to be laying eggs wherever they are standing. Chickens will lay good eggs consistently for about 3 years, if they are kept in humane conditions. The chickens that he has right now are about two years old and going strong.Mr. Cogburn, handsome rooster that he is, was supposed to have been a hen. When Farmer Jones realized that he was a rooster, he kept him anyway. Turns out, the hens don't need a rooster around to lay eggs and I don't think there is any "chicken husbandry" going on either. He isn't allowed to go into the same area with the chickens because they gang up on him and pull his tail feathers out. In the picture, you can see that he doesn't have the usual tail plumage that most roosters normally would have.
You might be wondering why I seem to be obsessed with chickens and eggs. It was no accident that I called my baking business "The Good Egg"! Once you have tried an egg that has a yolk the colour of an orange, you will never go back. Speaking of yolks, the colour of them depends on what the hens are eating and the time of year. The best eggs I have ever eaten had yolks so orange, it surprised me every time I cracked one open. You can also tell if an egg is fresh by a yolk that sits up high and round.
This recipe for Eggs Benedict comes from one of my old stand-by cookbooks, "The Complete Canadian Living Cookbook". The only thing you really need a recipe for is the hollandaise sauce. This one is so easy and so good, I usually make a double batch just in case I become over-zealous checking the seasoning... There was one weekend that I was with my family at our friend's farm near Owen Sound. I made the hollandaise sauce and then realized that I didn't have enough eggs to poach for everyone. I sent my Dad & Sister out to find eggs (not easy on a Sunday morning in rural Ontario). They came back and said that they hadn't found any and that we would just have to have one egg each, instead of two. Unfortunately, while they were gone, I had tasted the sauce too many times and I had to use the rest of the eggs to make more sauce. They weren't pleased. I sent them back out to try again and in the end, we had a wonderful breakfast!
Eggs Benedict
4 English muffins, halved and toasted
8 thin slices ham
8 eggs, poached*
Hollandaise Sauce:
4 egg yolks
1/4 c. water
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 c. butter, softened
2 t. fresh lemon juice
Fresh chives, chopped (optional) (I love fresh chives mixed right into the sauce)
In a small heavy saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, water and pepper; cook, whisking, over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until pale and thick enough to coat back of spoon. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter and lemon juice.
Top each muffin half with 1 ham slice and 1 poached egg; spoon 2 T. of the sauce over top. Garnish with tomato wedges and chives, if using.
*I recently read about an idea for poaching eggs. I don't have an egg poaching pan (with little egg cups that fit into a special pan. I usually poach eggs right in the water but this has had mixed results for me. I read somewhere about cracking the eggs into individual greased ramekins and then setting those into a pan of boiling water. Cover and cook until slightly firm. Run a knife around the edge of the eggs and they pop out perfect every time. There are also microwave egg poachers out there but I have never tried those before.
*You could skip the ham and saute some spinach in butter for Eggs Florentine.
